Lid construction for material spreaders



Dec. 29, 1953 R. E. SELTZER LID CONSTRUCTION FOR MATERIAL SPREADERSOriginal Filed Sept. 14, 1949 INVENTOR ROBERT E. SELTZER BYfA-M mmATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 29, 1953 UNITED STATES O C LID CONSTRUCTION FORMATERIAL SPREADERS;

Original. application... September 14,1949, Serial;

No.. 1153595. Divided and thisaDDHCatiOnFCh-I ruary 13,.195 2', ,SerialNo. 271,358 7 2 claims. (01. 220-32) This invention relates toagricultural material spreaders, and particularly to an improved lidconstruction therefor having particular benefits. This application is adivision of my co-pending application Serial No. 115,595, filedSeptember 14, 1949.

Agricultural material spreaders of the nature with which this inventionis particularly con cerned comprise an elongated hopper arrangementmounted on wheels and having dispensing openings in the bottom of thehopper through which the material to be dispensed is discharged. Thehopper is open at the top for receiving" the material to be dispensed,andlids are provided for covering the opening.

Particular problems arise in connection with spreaders of the naturereferred to, in that the material to be dispensed must be kept perfectlydry because it has a strong tendency to cake into solid mass when moist,and it not only becomes impossible to: dispensethe material properly inthis condition, but it may even be necessary to clean out. the entirespreader.

The materials dispensed in aspreader of this nature also vary widely astothe amount, thereof dispensed, and for this reason, it is sometimesnecessary to provide means for. filling thespreader almost continuouslyduring operation.v

Having the foregoing in mind, the particular object of the presentinvention is an improved hopper and lid construction for spreaders ofthe nature referred to which will eliminate the diniculty of thematerial becoming wet, and which will greatly facilitate the filling ofthe spreader.

Another object is the provision of an improved hopper arrangement inwhich the possibility of the operator becoming injured on a sharp edgeabout the opening of the hopper is eliminated, as well as thepossibility that a sharp edge around the opening will out through a sackor bag from which material is being dispensed into the hopper.

A particular object is the provision of a spreader arrangementparticularly adapted for being filled while in operation.

These and other objects and advantages will become more apparent uponreference to the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a spreader constructed according tothis invention;

Figur 2 is a transverse cross-section through the hopper portion of thehopper of the spreader showing the form which the hopper takes and theconstruction of the lid;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing'the manner" in whichthe hinge parts carried by the lid and hopper, respectively; are formed;v

Figured is a'view likeF-igure' 3, but'showing a modified arrangement ofthe hingeconstruction; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view, indicated byline 55 on Figure 1,showingthe construction of the hopper at" the center part when the saidhopper is provided with two-openings.

Referring to the drawings somewhat more in detail, the material spreaderillustratedtherein comprises a relatively elongatedhopper lilhavingground-wheels" at the opposite ends and a hitch structure 44extending-from the. front wall of the hopper. According: to well-known.practices, and at least onearrangement of which isshown inmy co-pendingapplication referred to abovathe ground wheels: l2"v are arranged fordriving an agitator extending l'engthwise of the hopper adjacentthebottom-portion thereof for dispensing materialitherefrom in. measuredamounts.

Theupper: wall of the hopper is provided with openings Hi and: L8, and.lids. are provided, asv at 20:.and 22, forxclosingthe. said openings.

Referring: now toFigure. 2,. it; will be seen that the. openings;at;-the top of the hopperare provideda with inwardly rolled; edges 24,by means of which the: periphery: of? the opening is blunt, andtherefore presents no sharp edges that might cut bags or sacks fromwhich material was being transferred to the hopper, and likewise thereis little chance of anyone becoming injured on a sharp edge around theopening.

Each opening of the hopper is provided with a lid consisting of asubstantially fiat panel 26 having the downwardly turned peripheral edge28. Edge 28 fits closely about the upwardly extending flange thatsurrounds the opening of the hopper, and which is rolled in at 24, asdescribed above. The lid and hopper are provided with hinge means in theform of cooperating parts carried by each thereof, as best illustratedin Figures 3 and 4. The hinge parts comprise the cylindrical members 3!)welded at spaced points along the lid and the cylindrical parts 32welded at corresponding points along the hopper. In Figure 3, a pin 34is mount ed in sleeve 32, and the lid is put on the hopper by bringingpin 34 into register with the opening in the sleeve 3!), and thensliding the lid endwise until member 30 abuts member 32.

During opening and closing movements of the lid, the hinge parts willnot become disengaged.

In Figure 4 an inversion of the arrangement is illustrated wherein thecylindrical member 36 on the lid carries the pin 38 and the cylindricalmember 40 on the hopper is adapted for receiving the pin. The Figure 4arrangement is to be slightly preferred over the Figure 3 arrangement,because fewer pins are required. As will be seen in Figure 2, the hopperhas the cylindrical members welded to both sides thereof, and thus thelid can be placed on the hopper to open either from the front or fromthe back.

According to this invention, the lid includes a strip 42 extending alongtheinside thereof and formed with a hooked end at 44 adapted forengaging under the rolled in lip 24 about the opening in the hopper.Strip or clip 42 is so shaped and positioned that the lidwill beslightly overcenter when the clip engages the'said lip and the lid willthus be positioned when opened in the position illustrated in Figure 1.

The advantage of this arrangement is that the lids can serve as backboards for permitting the rapid filling of the spreader as by shovellingmaterial from a towing truck or the like when the spreader is inoperation. The lid arrangement with the clip also facilitates fillingthe hopper in the normal manner.

It will be understood that this invention is susceptible to modificationin order to adapt it to different usages and conditions, and,accordingly, it is desired to comprehend such modifications within thisinvention as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a spreader for granulated agricultural materials: an elongatedhopper having a filling opening at the top, said top having anupstanding peripheral edge, said edge being rolled inwardly anddownwardly in a rounded manner, a reversible elongated lid for closingsaid opening and having a dependent marginal flange to fit around theoutside of said upstanding edge when the lid is closed, separable hingemeans on one longitudinal side of said lid and on both longitudinalsides of said hopper whereby the lid can be hinged to either side of thehopper, means for holding said lid in open position on either side ofsaid hopper and in a substantially perpendicular relation to the planeof the top of said hopper, said means comprising an elongated clipsecured at one end to the underside of said lid and having a hookedportion at the other end thereof, said hooked portion lockingly engagingthe underside of the adjacent peripheral edge when said lid is in openposition, said clip comprising a strip of material extending the fulllength of said hopper and together with said lid in open positionforming a means for deflecting said granulated material into said hopperand for preventing said latter material from lodging between said lidand the top edge of said hopper.

2. In a spreader for granulated agricultural materials andthe like: anelongated hopper having a filling opening at the top, said top having anupstanding peripheral edge, said edge being rolled inwardly anddownwardly to provide a rounded smooth surface, a reversible elongatedlid for closing said opening and having a dependent marginal flangeconforming to the curvature of said edge and fitting in flush matingengagement around the outside of said upstanding edge when the lid isclosed, separable hinge means on one longitudinal side of said lid andon both longitudinal sides of said hopper whereby the lid can be hingedto either side of the hopper, common means for preventing granulatedmaterials from entering between the mating surfaces of said marginalflange and said upstanding edge and into said hinge and for holding saidlid in open position on either side of said hopper in a substantiallyperpendicular relation to the plane of the top of said hopper, saidmeans comprising an elongated clip extending the full length of saidhopper and being secured along one of its sides to the underside of saidlid, the other side thereof having a hooked portion for lockinglyengaging the underside of the adjacent peripheral edge when the lid isin open position.

ROBERT EDWARD SELTZER.

References Cited in the flle of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 45,499 Howell et al Dec. 20, 1864 479,936 Foster Aug. 2, 1892766,892 Olinger Aug. 9, 1904 1,416,019 Hall May 16, 1922 1,653,556 FaberDec. 20, 1927 2,510,231 Juzwiak June 6, 1950

